Kitty Valentine Dates a Billionaire (Kitty Valentine #1)

While this book is okay enough (I’ve read many more enjoyable romance novels, but this escapist enough to read while trying to fall asleep at night) what is making me NUTS is that EVERYONE in this book “snickers” constantly. And they “smirk” and they “giggle”. It’s like the author has 3 dialogue tags and that’s all she uses. What’s most annoying about it is writers know you stick with “said”. Joe said, not Joe snickered. Susy said, not Susy smirked. Amanda said, not Amanda giggled. And preferably you show an action instead to depict what they’re doing. Surely the author knows the old adage about writing: show don’t tell. Don’t TELL the reader they snickered. SHOW us.
ENOUGH already. I know this writer has been around a long time, and because of that she should know better.

And where is her editor? Any editor worth his or her salt knows to delete delete delete with that verbal kudzu.

I find it distracting enough that I was tempted to give this book 1 star—it’s just unprofessional writing and so annoying. Every time I read another character snickering it pulls me totally out of the story and makes me super annoyed that the author didn’t have a decent editor (or did she even have one at all?).

Just for fun I did a word search. Variations on smirking: 20, variations on snickering: 16. Variations on giggle: 11.
STAAAAHHHHHPPPPP with the snickering already!

Kitty Valentine, best-selling romance author, needs new inspiration for her books. With the help of her best friend Hayley’s “handy-dandy trope-picker” Kitty begins “dating roulette,” basically selecting a specific “type” of man to date and write about every few months e.g. “firefighter, single daddy, cowboy, rock star, doctor, motorcycle club, actor, prince/royalty, lifeguard, race car driver, foreign lover, tattoo artist, police, boy next door…” (Book 1, p. 38).

Trope 1: The Billionaire Boss
Kitty’s first target is the owner of her publishing company, Blake Marlin. Being swept away on Blake’s private jet for dinner and getting box-seat tickets to sold-out productions provides plenty of inspiration for Kitty’s latest book. But as feelings get involved and Kitty witnesses the highs and lows of the lifestyle of a billionaire how will her love story end?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and light read (162 pages) without a Jillian Dodd cliff-hanger that tends to hook me in to the next book without so much as a bathroom break. Blake was likable but the hot guy next door has my attention

Kitty Valentine is a New York Times best-selling romance writer with six books under her name. She is on top of the world – until she wasn’t. She got word that her latest book to be published because it was not “current” and raunchy for new readers. Needing new “writing material,” Kitty agrees to start casual dating based on a “dating wheel of eligible characters” that can help make her put more “spice” in her books. Spin the wheel and dating character #1 is a billionaire!

Blake Marlin is a media mogul and businessman. He is a busy man and ironically owns the publishing company that handles Kitty’s book publishing endeavors. An accidental meet-up initially made him doubtful of Kitty’s real intention, but, in the end, Blake “goes along” with helping her take a peek into his world for her book. Little did he realize that casually dating Kitty would show him how much he has traded for success. He started self-evaluating his priorities.

The storyline is a refreshing take on dating. It might be harder versus screening men online, but Kitty’s connections and determination it was “a walk in the park,” or so we think. I can see a few eyebrows going up or heads shaking, thinking that this book is “predictable.” Readers may think it’s what all the romance novels describe it to be – catch a billionaire’s attention, then everything happens, and Kitty finds her “the one,” and she writes her book. Nothing new, so why the fascination with this series. Right?
SO WRONG! The author gets it and tells us how things are not what they seem. If the first date was a sign, things were real and more complicated with dating Blake.

Overall, Kitty Valentine Dates a Billionaire is a chuckling filled, reinvent-yourself book. Readers can expect lots of laugh-out moments, dating bloopers, self-discovery, and the pros and cons of dating a billionaire. I like how “organic” the story unfolded. It may not seem like a HEA, but I was happy with how the ending happened. It’s more like “on-to-the-next” and makes readers hopeful for Kitty and her outlook as she continues with her writing career.
Kitty Valentine Dates a Billionaire is a great start for the series, and I’m excited to see more!

I highly recommend this book for readers who love the atypical romance comedy, rational and logical characters, and honesty insight into dating and relationships.

4.5 stars!!

This book was so unlike Jillian Dodd’s other books, especially as the heroine is older in age, which I absolutely loved. Our heroine is a #1 best-selling author and has hit the top of the list with every release, except her last one, which didn’t hit at all. Kitty’s wholesome romance is not the trope that readers want anymore and so Kitty has to admit that she needs to get a little more risque in what she writes. Not being the most experienced woman, Kitty’s best friends creates a “spin the wheel” of dates, and up first is the billionaire.

This was fresh, fun, flirty read, that was unputdownable. I haven’t read a book in weeks since lockdown, my brain just cannot focus, but this book managed to hold it until the last page was read. I laughed, I smiled, I loved, and I cannot wait to read what comes next in this series. A great start to a new series.

Cute book about an author who has to find a way to put more (dirty) sex scenes into her sweet romance books. A horrifying prospect for Kitty, she begins researching, starting with the guy across the hall.
Unfortunately, she has to find a billionaire for her first sex pot book. Fortunately the CEO/owner/founder of her publishing company fits the bill. The result? Lots of tricky situations, laughs, and fodder for her book.
A delightful, funny read that leaves you wondering about what comes next.

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